Steve Sammonds has been the music director of The Peninsulaires since 1989. His first introduction to barbershop was singing "Lida Rose" in a junior high quartet in 1974. He first became aware of the Barbershop Harmony Society from his uncle, Ronnie Sammonds, who was a member of the Baton Rouge Chapter. In fact, the first barbershop meeting Steve ever attended was in Baton Rouge in 1984. But it was not until late 1987 that Steve officially joined the society and the Peninsula Chapter (now Palo Alto-Mountain View). During Steve's first year of membership he became music librarian, assistant director, and elected to the office of Music Vice President.

Music, singing, and performance, however, were not new to Steve when he found barbershop. His formal music training began at age 9 studying both piano and percussion as well as singing in the church youth choir. During high school, Steve was percussion section leader of his high school's award-winning marching band and learned trombone for the jazz and concert ensembles. Always one with a flair for the dramatic, Steve also dabbled in acting all the way from grade school through college.

With a degree in Atmospheric Science from U.C. Davis (Go Aggies!), Steve proudly admits that most of his music theory, vocal, and choral conductor training has been through the Barbershop Harmony Society. He attended the Society's first Directors College in 1990 and has attended seven more times since then. In 2001, Steve became the first director in the Far Western District to complete the Society's director certification course curriculum.

Our director's growth and training has provided positive results for the chapter and chorus. Since 1996, The Peninsulaires Chorus has placed no lower than fourth in the Northwest Division and has qualified to compete at every Far Western District Chorus Contest. In 2002, the chorus won the district's Small Chapter Chorus Championship. Steve has also written and stage directed several of the chapter's annual shows, designed choreography, and edited the chapter bulletin.

In addition to directing The Peninsulaires, Steve has sung Lead in several barbershop quartets: Close Harmony Experience, Native CaliFOURnians, Mixed Metafour, Dalliance, Intermezzo, Shockwave, Adagio, and his current quartet, spam.

Along with his chapter duties, Steve currently serves on the Far Western District's Board of Directors as Vice President of the Northwest Division. Previously he has chaired the district's Chorus Director Development and Long Range Planning committees. He has won numerous chapter awards including the 1988 Rookie of the Year and Barbershopper of the Year in 1989 and 2003. Steve is a member of the Palo Alto-Mountain View Chapter Hall of Fame.

Steve resides in San Jose with his wife, Terri, and two sons, Andy and Ryan. In his "real" job, he worked twenty-two years for entertainment company Electronic Arts but is currently "between jobs."